Okay, this thing was a royal pain in the (pick your anatomical preference) to update. After one plotscripting disaster after another--three days later--I finally got something worth showing.

Now, keep in mind that this isn't final final. The section of cave that's in the video will eventually get a color change. Also, the end of the video shows the heroes entering the boss's lair, which triggers a script and a battle that I haven't updated yet. So there will be some incompletions in the last thirty seconds or so. But this will at least show you what the tidal wave looks like now.

I know it's not perfect. I may have to rewrite the base tiles to get this looking proper at the endpoints. And I think this is one of the few areas in the game that'll really benefit from having the Layer 3 feature implemented. But it works.

And if you watch closely, you'll see some bonus tricks that happen if you take too long getting across. Might be the first time in OHR history (to my knowledge) that additional members of the caterpillar party aren't safe from the environment (not including harm tiles).

And yes, if the party leader doesn't make it across in time, everyone is swept away and the game ends. So make sure you haul that superhero booty.

Here's the video. I forgot to turn the music down prior to recording, so it might be a little loud. It normally sounds better than this.

_________________Progress Report:

The Adventures of Powerstick Man: Extended Edition

Currently Updating: General sweep of the game world and dialogue boxes. Adding extended maps.

Another lengthy amount of time has passed since the last official preview of The Adventures of Powerstick Man: Extended Edition, so I thought I’d make use of the “Hype Your Own Game Thread” for the next epic installment.

There’s nothing fancy to report, by the way. This is strictly a photo session. And I apologize for the image heavy post if that bothers you.

Note: Some of these, if not many, are subject to change. This is just an example of the direction the game is going.

Nectarine Institute of Research (Formerly the Faberge Chemical Factory):

A clip from the main hall. The “Statues of Nectarine” series gives some additional background about the location.

So this is the famous Nectarine Institute of Research, the place where superheroes are made. This opening dungeon replaces the defunct Faberge Chemical Factory and its ugly silver bar walls. As a bonus, I did away with “Gonna Make You Sweat” and replaced it with something way cooler (and ogg-based).

A Note About the Music:

The game’s opening dungeon and closing dungeon will feature high-quality music to bookend all the midi tracks everywhere else.

Some specialty areas will feature high-quality music as part of the background. If it sounds good, it’s probably part of the scene, not the soundtrack. (See the posting about “Big Daddy’s" in my journal for an example of this.)

A few general maps, but all dungeons, will feature streaming music as the soundtrack. This means that maps, battles, and victory music all share the same song so that it doesn’t feel broken. Most dungeons are too short for this feature to become annoying.

A Couple Outdoor Areas:

A direct response to Chaos Nyte’s comment (in his Castle Paradox review) about beating up wildlife for experience.

One of the many new heroes you’ll encounter in your journey.

Some Cut Scene Moments:

Part of the main storyline. I won’t spoil the surprise.

One of the many “Off the Beaten Path” moments you may encounter if you put on your explorer’s hat.

The Squatter Village:

The Extended Edition has double the locations of the original game (maybe triple when it’s finished). One such location is the “Squatter Village,” where the factory protesters live.

Old Areas Drastically Revised:

This is the back room of one of the original game’s existing areas. Can you guess which one?

Always read the signs.

And beware the citizens of this crazy town.

The saddest singles mingle ever.

All the fun’s happening here.

The pimped-out penthouse of Mayor Samson Applewhite.

Cannonball City Hall:

Read all the signs and magazines and you might be eligible for a surprise.

A classic example of why enemy animation and battlescripting will become a welcome addition someday.

Meeting the Odor King.

Defeating the Odor King.

Cannonball City Hall has a couple new surprises that the original game didn’t offer. Can someone say “collapsing floors?”

Treasure Cove Cave:

One, two…

Who’s bad enough to roll that rock away?

Deep down into the “Treasure Cove Cave.”

Outrunning the tidal wave. (This picture was taken before I added the dark sprite palette.)

Some bosses have no regard for kittens.

So that’s the latest info on The Adventures of Powerstick Man: Extended Edition. The game should be ready sometime between December 2009 and June 2010._________________Progress Report:

The Adventures of Powerstick Man: Extended Edition

Currently Updating: General sweep of the game world and dialogue boxes. Adding extended maps.

Though the release of The Adventures of Powerstick Man: Extended Edition is still a ways off, I thought I’d introduce you to a few new recurring characters. Most of these people have an extensive presence in the two novels and make at least three appearances in separate sections of the game (though only a couple of them do this presently). At least one will become a selectable hero and all of them add depth to the overall story (as I’d like to believe all my characters do).

Max Powers:

Member of an anti-terrorist squad who is trying to thwart the smuggling of a nuclear bomb. As it stands, he keeps missing the mark. Perhaps a vain superhero can help him out.

Protester Harry:

The hippie who just wants to get home, but accidentally locked his keys in his car. While he fails to hold onto his keys, he does manage to keep devices that can remove obstacles in Powerstick Man’s path.

Plummet Man:

The superhero who “falls the wrong way,” he tries to recruit Powerstick Man into the official ranks of superherodom (rather than leaving him as a mere vigilante). Will eventually become a selectable hero.

Funky Fresh Boy:

The superhero reject who is about as bad as a shopkeeper as he is a crime fighter. He does own one important item, though.

Miss Honeysweet:

The queen of poetic justice, she can make a proud man cry and a king weep before the feet of his peasants. But even she doesn’t know how this happens. She just goes with it. She helps Powerstick Man track down an elusive item.

Cherry Chicklet:

The Cannonball Strip’s resident pop star and mentor to Miss Honeysweet, she can gather the townies like a pied piper and march them into battle with her sultry voice. She’s also a great dancer, as Powerstick Man may discover if he meets her at the Foxberry.

The Music Effect:

The updated game will also track Powerstick Man’s music skill. As of now there are three places where he can increase his skill. If he enters into the third place all beefed up he’ll perform a song for the lounge lizards in its entirety. If he’s under-practiced, he’ll give up before he finishes.

Below is a clip of the first minute of his entire performance.

And here’s a scene from later in the song.

EDIT: Hmm, seems the Youtube version drags a little. Everything's pretty tightly synced in the game, better than what this is showing anyway.

Other New Stuff:

And finally, I’m proud to reveal an update that has been long awaited (by me) and will hopefully delight the true fans.

Yes, I am referring to the triumphant return of Elwood Walker.

Come the Extended Edition, he will have not one, but three intros to choose from. Depending on which you choose, you can see how his life has progressed over the years since not playing the original Powerstick Man.

And as an added bonus, you can now select how much of the intro to watch. Or you can just dive right into the game.

And that concludes this update. Enjoy._________________Progress Report:

The Adventures of Powerstick Man: Extended Edition

Currently Updating: General sweep of the game world and dialogue boxes. Adding extended maps.

One of the nice things about updating a game is that you can make something that was once sub-par look decent. But one of the nicer things is that you can make something that was once decent turn into something attractive. This can mean including a number of things like action sequences and ambient sound effects. But most likely it means pumping up the scenery.

Last month I released the 100-week version of my playtesting document, which chronicled the changes that were made to The Adventures of Powerstick Man since its original release in December 2000. One of the common themes of the document was the rebuilding of old areas that once looked sub-par. Well, as of Week 101 I went back to the early maps and started re-landscaping them with new vegetation. And for those who’ve read the journal, you’ll know that this mission to improve the landscapes began when I added new rock formations to one of my cave maps in Week 99.

The following screenshots reveal the new look that has befallen my oldest maps in the last four weeks:

This screenshot was taken from the outdoor area of the Nectarine Institute of Research, which is the facility where our story begins. If you compare this to older screenshots (or to the original game), you’ll see how much more personality the detail gives the game now. Up until now, the game only suggested that it took place on a Caribbean island. Now it should reveal this a little better.

This is from the Hitcher Highway. In the past, the map was just a winding road that snaked through a massive forest down toward the swampy shoreline in the south. Now, not only are there new types of trees turning it into a diverse ecosystem, but two large lakes with a connecting river make the scenery less boring. The swamp also has reeds growing from the shallows among other things.

One of several coastal areas where palm trees cover the beaches and moss grows from the cliffs.

And while revisions are necessary to making a decent game better, there is nothing quite like a new addition to story or gameplay. Here are a few more story and gameplay screenshots from scenes later in the game:

Even with the addition of bus passes the Cannonball City Transport can only stick to the highways. So what’s one to do if he wants to get to Sandy Smack Island in a hurry? Why, he takes the Water Taxi, of course.

Who are these people, and what do they want with a frightened chicken?

And what good is new gameplay without an introduction to some new enemies? Meet a sample of the people and creatures you might encounter on your journey through the tropical wasteland:

Where will they show up and how will you beat them? Find out these things and more when The Adventures of Powerstick Man: Extended Edition comes to a computer near you._________________Progress Report:

The Adventures of Powerstick Man: Extended Edition

Currently Updating: General sweep of the game world and dialogue boxes. Adding extended maps.

It’s been awhile since the last big update, so I thought I’d update the world about what’s new in Powerstick Man’s world. Get ready to hold your breath.

One of the unique staples of The Adventures of Powerstick Man: Extended Edition is its growing library of unlikely gaming mechanics finding a way into Cannonball City and beyond. While simple RPG elements like gaining strength through fighting battles and using the dead enemy carcasses to fund a heroic operation is rapidly declining in the Cannonball Strip, complex elements like playing the lottery, cashing in money for experience, and increasing stats through the consumption of fancy dinners is climbing the ladder.

And now, thanks to recent changes made in the last year, Powerstick Man’s world has gotten even more advanced.

Let’s take the Bank of Cannonball City, for example.

The Bank

Visiting shops, drinking potions, and beating the pulp out of plips is commonplace in most RPGs for the OHR (well, substitute plips for any creature). But what about going to the bank? What about having to stand in a line and waiting one’s turn?

In The Adventures of Powerstick Man: Extended Edition, the player has the pleasure of waiting in a line full of quality NPCs for his turn at the counter.

But what if he doesn’t want to wait in line? Then the teller will refuse service.

Unless, of course, he has the bank’s VIP Pass. Then he can skip the saps in line all he wants.

But I digress. The better question is why should anyone visit the bank?

Well, once he sets up an account with the account manager (seen at the podium in the left)—and he’ll want to wait until current interest rates are high enough to benefit from the bonuses—he’ll be able to check his account, deposit money, withdraw money, or complain to the tellers about whatever customers feel compelled to complain about.

And he can deposit or withdraw however much money he wants, provided the funds for it exist.

And why should he care to do either?

Because deposits accrue interest, of course. What better way to make money than to let time make it for you? Depending on the interest rate, several dollars can accrue every couple of minutes. Drop a high deposit, reap a high reward. Don’t like the current interest rate? Close your account and wait for the fluctuating interest to increase. Think the fluctuation window is too low? Then go buy stuff and stimulate the global economy. Or beat up more critters in the field. Every little bit helps.

Yes, in The Adventures of Powerstick Man: Extended Edition, you affect the global economy, not just your own pocketbook.

Other New Features

Among the many other additions to the game, you can now access a separate menu to view your special actions and reports. And what new action is available since the last update?

Yes, the “Street Identifier.”

You ever wander aimlessly around an RPG town and just want to know the name of the dang street you’re walking on? Well, in The Adventures of Powerstick Man: Extended Edition, now you can. Just access the “Special Functions” menu and highlight “Street Identifier.” Then, through the magic of strings and slices, you’ll get names like:

Ovatio Imaginate Boulevard, the street that cuts through the heart of the municipal district, and:

Townsend Street, the road that leads to the main artery through the city, or:

The unfortunate reminder that you’re not on a street, but in the middle of nowhere.

As of now, the “Street Identifier” is just a fun way to get to know your region better. But in the future, you’ll need it to solve a side quest or few.

New Areas

Now, as always, new gameplay features are just a sampling of the new additions. Thanks to my having updated almost 100% of the original game to the Extended Edition design, I’ve had more time this year to add new areas. Below is a sampling of some of those recently added maps.

Standing at the main doors to the Civic Center of Cannonball City. If Powerstick Man finishes all of his music-related subplots, then he may just win an invitation to see a concert here (once I find someone willing to perform the songs for it).

Who is this Cherry Chicklet, and what will it take to get her to sing (besides a competent voice actress with musical talent, recording equipment, and no fees)?

What’s this? A nice neighborhood in Cannonball City? A neighborhood that randomly generates its NPCs so that the experience is never monotonous? A neighborhood whose NPCs divulge the secrets of the Cannonball Strip? Impossible!

Journey high enough and you may even see the top of the world.

Surprising Twists

And now for Powerstick Man’s greatest tricks:

Wait, what? Wasn’t “Superheroes Anonymous” just a story? Do you mean—no, it can’t be.

No, no, no! Those are NOT alter egos wandering in a caterpillar party line. Powerstick Man is NOT walking around as Jimmy Knightly. That is—no, I don’t believe it!

And I didn’t even discuss the possibility of buying properties all over the Cannonball Strip for some kind of tycoon subplot. Oh, when does it stop?

So, want more?

Stay tuned to HamsterSpeak Volume #38 for something even more special._________________Progress Report:

The Adventures of Powerstick Man: Extended Edition

Currently Updating: General sweep of the game world and dialogue boxes. Adding extended maps.